Raft Will Soon Be Solar Powered

Nonprofit Resource Area for Teaching, or RAFT, is getting a donation of rooftop solar panels. Grainger Marburg, executive director of RAFT, said the donation from Cupertino Electric will have a positive impact on the environment. "When Cupertino Electric offered to decrease our energy costs and increase our ability to provide educators with the innovative teaching resources they need to fuel the learning process, we jumped at the opportunity," Marburg said. The custom-made, 11.28 kilowatt rooftop system is expected to offset 7 percent of the nonprofit's energy costs. RAFT was chosen from among several other nonprofits for the installation in part because it owns its building, located at 1355 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, and has the room to accommodate such a system. Paul Aggarwal, vice president of operations for Cupertino Electric's energy alternatives division, said, "We are extremely excited to marry our own involvement in the community with our expertise in the solar industry." RAFT, founded in 1994, serves approximately 12,000 educators each year who are responsible for more than 900,000 students. The building houses inexpensive or free supplies that teachers can use in their classrooms, and also provides teacher workshops. Follow on Twitter @leetarose Read the full story